One of my Mistress' names, since well before we met, is after the card that made me fall in love with winning.
Not the usual brand, I know, but hear me out. I was young when Bitterblossom hit, and I remember so many people not understanding how it worked. There was no word for the "tempo" archetype back then; we had explored ideas like "playing good cards on curve," but nobody had yet explored the power of playing bad cards off-curve. Seeing how it worked brought me a kind of peace I can't describe, for reasons I can't really name; like something hungry in me that had no way to express itself suddenly found purchase in the world. I couldn't really talk back then (long story), but it became a cornerstone of my thoughts: winning is winning.
The thing about bitterblossom is that it takes a bit to pay off. It starts hurting you before it produces any value. You have to bleed, steadily, rhythmically, the pace of your bloodshed constant, as the value of the payoff compounds.
Most of my life so far has seemed like a waste. But every drop of blood brought me closer to Miss, and to my wives, even when I couldn't see it. All that pain, turning to something divine; from bitterness, a blossom. I've been waiting so long.
